


Bombshells

by askmeaboutmyoctopustheory



Series: Bombshells and related [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: How Do I Tag, Platonic chughead, construction jughead, i just think about shirtless jughead a lot, i love cheronica ok, jug/veronica is my BrOTP, they're all bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:58:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11273157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/askmeaboutmyoctopustheory/pseuds/askmeaboutmyoctopustheory
Summary: Slight AU: Cheryl didn't burn down thornhill, but penelope was taken into custody because we all know that shady bitch was hiding stuff.





	1. Summer days drifted away

Betty sat back on her the heels of her keds. She blew the stray hair that had somehow wormed it’s way out of her ponytail and looked around at the dusty room around her.

“Uh. Cheryl, want to break for lunch? We can bring lunch to the construction site and see our baes?” Betty asked her tentatively with a sweet smile.  
It can’t be easy for her, being the sole Blossom, besides Nana Rose, not incarcerated or dead. The heir to the fortune and the cursed land. With Veronica helping-but really supervising- her mother at Andrew’s construction, Archie staying home most days with his dad, and Jughead working the construction sites, Betty was left with minimal friends. She offered to help Cheryl clean out Thornhill for the estate sale, in an attempt to forge a friendship with the other aunt of her niece and nephew. The two never acknowledged when, on their first day of rummaging through Thornhill’s closets, Betty quietly pressed the business card of the therapist in the next town over into Cheryl’s hand. They had silently nodded their understanding and gone about their work

“Yeah it’s time to break--- wait did you say ’baes’....?” Cheryl froze midsentence, flush creeping up her face.

“Cheryl…. I see the way you look at Veronica and, well, I ship it…” Betty explained somewhat awkwardly. Anyone with eyes could see the redhead’s pining looks at their dark haired princess. 

“What, I don’t look at her that obviously….Do I? Why didn’t anyone tell me before? Does she know?”

“Relax Cheryl. She’s not oblivious but just thinks you’re jealous. I wouldn’t worry about her and Archie either. Archie isn’t the ‘relationship’ type…..Anyway, wanna surprise V and Jug with pop’s?”  
Cheryl nodded and followed her, blush still draining from her cheeks. The two made their way down to pop’s in Cheryl’s convertible, chatting about the unusually warm weather and weekend plans. They ordered enough food to feed a small nation’s army and, laden with their greasy lunch, headed to the construction site.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Oh my GOD I’m starving” Jughead complained as he kicked the door of the trailer open. He strode in, shirtless due to the hot weather.

“You’re always starving Jug, but don’t worry. B texted me saying that she and Cheryl are bringing us lunch” Veronica said with a laugh.

“Thank goodness. God I love that woman. Also, V, I’m always hungry, but not always starving. There’s a difference” Jughead said, turning to the water cooler with a wink at the dark haired girl. Veronica just shook her head and laughed. She couldn’t help but look over Jughead’s shirtless torso that was normally kept under layers of flannel and leather. Somehow, the lanky outsider had some serious shoulder definition and respectable biceps. As he poured a glass of water over his head, letting the drops cascade down his body, Veronica couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride for her best friend. “Damn B, get it” she thought inwardly as she watched the lean muscles ripple under pale skin. Jughead opened his locker in the trailer, throwing his flannel into it and replacing his hard hat with his beanie.

“When did Betty say they’d be here? My stomach is about to eat my liver” 

“She texted me when they were leaving Thornhill, about 15 minutes ago, so probably pretty soon. Someday, Jug, your metabolism is going to catch up with you and re you won’t be a beanpole anymore.”  
\-----------------------------------------------  
Cheryl couldn’t help but feel out of place in her red convertible at the construction site. She felt twice as uncomfortable now that she knew her not-so-little crush on Veronica was noticed by others. She had barely turned her car off when the door to the trailer burst open and Veronica appeared on the steps of the trailer.

“They’re here, bottomless pit, get out or I’ll eat your burger!” Veronica yelled into the trailer. She laughed then turned to Cheryl and Betty, just getting out of the car. “Thanks so much guys, I’m starving and Jughead is about to wither away to nothing” 

When Jughead finally emerged from the trailer, Betty thought she was going to have to scoop Cheryl’s jaw off the ground. Betty knew her boyfriend had an amazing physique, but it was always a shock to other people to see the muscle underneath the moodiness.

“Geez Betty, I know you said he has layers, but who knew THAT was under it all” Cheryl stage-whispered to Betty.

“Obviously, I knew. Now aren’t you here to ogle someone else Cheryl?” Betty said back pointedly.  
The four of them ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Veronica had finished her burger and was working on her fries when she turned her attention to Cheryl.

“So, how goes the Thornhill cleanup?” She asked, eyes kind and a small smile on her face.

“Unearthed any literal skeletons in the closets?” Jughead quipped, his mouth full of burger.  
Cheryl rolled her eyes before launching into an inventory of the mottled silver, the moth-eaten furs, the frankly terrifying hunting trophies, and the weird tapestry that they’d found while cleaning out the mansion. 

“There’s just so….much. Like no one has ever bothered to clean. And it’s such a large house. Why need all that space for four people? I think I’m going to sell the land to the city and Nana Rose and I can live in the old staff quarters. Or maybe I’ll put Nana in a home and live alone. I don’t know….It’s so much” Cheryl rambled on, looking worried. Veronica reached out and rubbed her hand comfortingly.

Betty was trying to get Jughead’s attention and kicked him in the shin to get him to look at Cheronica. They wiggled their eyebrows knowingly at Cheryl and grinned. Jughead was still lost in thought. He knew that where the Blossoms had housed their staff was probably 10x larger than where he had grown up. 

“If you ever need a roommate Cheryl, I can cook and don’t require much space” He said, half-jokingly.

“Actually…..I was actually thinking the same thing, Jughead. Money won’t be a problem from selling the land and I still have the business, we could pull some strings to make Nana Rose your guardian. If it’s not too weird, I was wondering if you’d want to live with me….”


	2. We can work from home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of dialogue, folks. This story is already going farther than I thought it would so thanks for any comments!

Veronica sputtered, her milkshake almost coming out of her nose. Betty’s jaw nearly hit the floor. Even Jughead stopped eating and stared at the redhead in stunned disbelief. He cleared his throat and said what they were all thinking

“You….um….what?” Jughead tried to wrap his head around what Cheryl had just said. Betty was thumping Veronica on the back to help her recover from inhaling her milkshake.

“I know it sounds crazy. It is crazy. But listen. Your dad is innocent, but will still be in custody for a while. My mom is batshit crazy, and admitted to withholding information and like, protecting the murderer. I only have Nana Rose, who I think is already convinced she’s dead. I have money and a house, but couldn’t survive on my own for a day. You can survive on your own and, sorry to be blunt, but don’t have a house or money. We could make a good team”

Cheryl took a breath and sat back. What she had said was true, if she didn’t learn how to cook and live without hired help, she would have to go into group living. Betty and Veronica had sat back and resumed their lunch, watching the proceedings between the unlikely possible roommates.

“But Cheryl, excuse my bluntness this time, you’ve never been nice to me in your life. Why start now?” Jughead was still wary of anyone offering him help, as the abandoned leather jacket in his father’s trailer made clear.

“Listen, I know I’ve been rude to you. I’ve made your lives miserable, all of you” Cheryl gestured around to the group “but, something about having your father murder your brother and your mother taken to jail makes you reevaluate. You three, and Archie, were there for me when no one else would have been. I have no one left, except the family that I choose for myself. And I’m choosing all of you.” 

Jughead looked at Cheryl. Her eyes were brimming with wetness. She looked scared and vulnerable, like she had on that snowy day at the river. Her lips were pursed and her hands shaking.

“Listen Cheryl, I’ll do it. I’ll move in. I just want like written proof or like some sort of roommate agreement or something. But you’re right. We’re not so different and we could help eachother out.”  
\---------------------------  
Their lunch had resumed normal conversation after Jughead and Cheryl agreed to meet later to discuss their new arrangement. They talked about the construction, their summer plans, and how quickly the town had moved on since the murder case had closed. When their milkshakes were gone and only crumbs were left of their fries, Cheryl and Betty said their goodbyes and went to go back to work. They left the site in Cheryl’s car, but the redhead was uneasy at the other girl’s silence.

“Betty, I’m sorry if I upset you. I know Jughead’s your boyfriend and now we’re living together. It was just a crazy idea and-”

“Cheryl, you are so brave and strong. I’m so proud of you. I cannot believe you put your differences past you and admitted you had faults. And you looked to the most unlikely source to help you. Yes, I was shocked, but I think this’ll be good for both of you.”

“Thanks B” Cheryl felt good about being honest and open with more people. Yes it had been fun to be the fiery queen bee, but her life had turned upside down. She was glad she had people in her life who would help her through it.

“Let’s get your mansion cleaned up so that you can move into your former servants quarters with my boyfriend” Betty teased, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. “But really, thank you for giving him a place to stay. It actually is a relief” 

Cheryl smiled at her and they remained in comfortable silence until they parked back at Thornhill. They went back to work stuffing antiques into boxes. Luckily they had been packing and cleaning since school had let out a few weeks ago, so they were nearly done. Cheryl had been keeping certain items that held sentimental value to her, but the majority was neatly organized into boxes to be sold with the land. She couldn’t help but feel sad about selling off her family’s estate, but she had no other options. She was the only Blossom left to uphold the legacy. A legacy that was now tarnished and broken. A legacy that she would have to re-build from the ground up.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Do you think I’m crazy, Veronica?” Jughead asked later that day. They were done with the construction for the day, he was sitting on the counter in the trailer. He was supposed to meet Cheryl for coffee at the Human Bean but he was loitering in the trailer to cool off enough to put his flannel back on.

“No I don’t think you’re crazy, I think you’re very forgiving and willing to put a lot behind you. But that doesn’t make you crazy”

“Thanks V, I think it’ll be good for both of us.” Jughead pulled his shirt on but left it unbuttoned. “I should get going, can’t keep the ginger princess waiting. I’ll send my loooooove from you” 

Veronica blushed as he turned on his heel and left. She knew that she and the redhead both had feelings for eachother, but she also had feelings for Archie. She also knew Archie’s history with dating and wasn’t opposed to having someone on hold. She wouldn't be opposed to going on dates with Cheryl, but the girl seemed pretty preoccupied. Veronica decided to just be there for the other girl in her time of need, and approach their crush later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archie is not really gonna be in this because he has the personality of a lamp.
> 
> Also if you haven't caught on i'm naming chapters various song lyrics :D


	3. You can leave a toothbrush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly the beginning of my domestic chughead brOTP. Also your fave bi girls talking about jug's arms.

A week later, Cheryl is flitting around the old staff quarters of Thornhill. She had put up a few sentimental pieces of decor, but the small house was mostly undecorated. It was tidy and neat, and Jughead would be arriving any minute. The past week had been full of meetings with Social Services, a few strongly worded letters, a visit to prison, but Jughead and Cheryl had both gotten all necessary loopholes to live on their own. A flea market vendor from New York City had come and bought nearly everything that they had cleaned out of the old dusty mansion. The only worry Cheryl had left, as silly as it was, was if Jughead would like the house. She reminded herself, in the nicest way possible, that the boy had lived in a closet at school, and this house would be more than suitable. Nevertheless, Cheryl had bought fresh flowers for the table in order to make the place look more homey. She was fussing with the angle of a perfectly level photo when she was startled by a knock on the door.

“Hi guys! Welcome home Jughead!” Cheryl said enthusiastically, practically throwing the door off the hinges.

“Hey roomie” Jughead said cheekily, giving her a hug with the one arm not occupied with a duffel bag. Betty and Veronica walked in behind him, both carrying one small suitcase. All three were grinning and dressed for unpacking and home renovation. Cheryl noted again how unexpectedly muscular jugheads arms were in his tank top. He was wearing an “S” bro tank and cutoffs, with both girls wearing shorts and v necks. Cheryl was relieved that Veronica wasn’t in her normal impeccable state of dress. She looked amazing in even a plain t-shirt and no makeup. 

“Let’s get HGTV up in here! I’ve been preparing for this all week on Pinterest and I’m not even living here!” Veronica said eagerly, pulling a tape measure out of her purse.

“Alright V, you measure stuff, I’ll help Jug unpack. Then we can go Greendale mall for any and all home renovation needs?” Betty hoisted the other suitcase up and went to move upstairs. “Wait should we do a like team rally thing with our hands? Break on 3?”

The four teenagers put their hands in a circle and broke on three. Veronica went to measure the area above the mantle for a television, Betty and Jughead went upstairs to the bedrooms, leaving Cheryl standing awkwardly in the dining room. 

“You Blossoms sure like your cherry-stained maple don’t ya?” Veronica asked with a smirk, brushing her hand against the mantle.

“It’s the Blossom way” Cheryl said in a voice mocking Penelope’s. She looked around at the wooden stairs, the wooden paneling around the whole room, the barstools. “It wouldn’t hurt to change it up, now that you mention it. I guess it could be sanded down and re-stained”

“Good thing you have your own live-in construction worker….I’m sure Jug will accommodate any construction needs you have. Not to mention that gorgeous industrial kitchen that I’m sure he’s drooling over”

“Meanwhile I just play the role of the dutiful housewife” Cheryl said with a grin. “Betty has the right idea, get a man who can cook, is good with his hands for building….”

“Probably good with his hands in other ways too” Veronica couldn't help but sigh.

“Oh my gosh I’m glad you see it too! I feel weird looking at Betty’s boyfriend almost lustfully, but phew, those arms do something to me. Who knew under all that flannel was an Abercrombie model??? He’s so not my type, and even if he was, he’s hopelessly devoted to B”

“I agree totally, don’t worry C. We can ogle from the sidelines and feel weirdly proud for Betty. I’ve been doing it since I started working at the construction site” The two exchanged a giggle and flopped down on the floor to wait for the others  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“It’ll be a squeeze but Cheryl can sit on Veronica’s lap” Jughead proclaimed a half hour later. The four were standing outside, ready to shop for furnishings, only to realize that FP’s old truck was the only car that could somewhat fit all of them. It was that or Cheryl’s coupe.

“That’s fine, let’s go” Veronica said a little too quickly, her face flushing. Betty and Jughead exchanged a glance and Cheryl couldn’t help but wonder if they did this on purpose. A few minutes later they were wedged onto the bench seat. Jughead at the wheel, Betty in the middle straddling the gearshift, with Cheryl and Veronica an awkward mess of limbs as they tried to invade each other’s space as little as possible while piled on top of eachother.

“If you see the cops, duck. We all know Keller’s got it out for me” Jughead said as they turned out of Thornhill. With the windows down and the old radio cutting in and out, the short drive to Greendale mall was pleasant. With clown-like comedy, they tumbled out of the car and straightened up, Cheryl and Veronica both flushed. 

“Um well, I was thinking we could go to the furniture store. I’m thinking rustic meets modern.” Veronica, recovering from her awkwardness.

“I’m gonna pretend I know what that means, and just push the cart” Jughead replied with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did everyone see the Bughead pic from season 2? Of them working on the car? Archie comics on twitter tweeted it out. So cute! 
> 
> Also I bought the archie coloring book yesterday impulsively. 
> 
> Chapter titles are song lyrics


	4. maybe it's not my weekend but it's gonna be my year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short(sorry) but sweet(i think).  
> I'm trying to get to the 'climax' of this story! I think i'm going to make this a multi-part so that I can have just another fic that's entirely Cheryl and Jug's shenanigans of living together.

Almost two hours later the gang had piled a new dresser and bed frame for Cheryl, a couch and cooking utensils that Veronica had picked, several new pairs of jeans and bedding for Jughead, and some tasteful lamps back into FP’s old truck. They had loaded up on Sbarro for lunch, and were ready to spend the afternoon making the little house on Blossom property feel like a home. Jughead had been more than happy to use the old bedframe, dresser, and bedside table salvaged from the Blossom manor, but was eager to sand and re-stain the red wood into a deep brown mahogany. Cheryl had mentioned wanting to re-stain the mantle as well, so a quick stop at the hardware store was in order. Despite his protests, Cheryl bought Jug a power sander to help his projects and as many tools as he could carry. 

“Shush Jughead. My only stipulation for buying this is you have to teach me how. I want to help out with home reno stuff. And you’ll teach me to cook too? We can stop at Whole foods on the way back.” 

Sure enough, only after they had wandered Whole Foods and sampled all the olives and bought cheeses that Jughead couldn’t pronounce, did they finally get back to the house.

“You know, Cheryl, we’re gonna have to think of a new name for our new house. We can’t very well keep calling it ‘Thornhill’ can we?”

“Ooooh we should all think of it together! Can I throw you guys a housewarming party?” Veronica squealed behind them.

“V, you don’t even live there. I don’t think you can throw a housewarming party for a house that isn’t your own” Betty chuckled, knowing that wouldn’t stop the former socialite.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Veronica. Once we’re all settled, we can have the whole Scooby Gang over for dinner and games and we’ll think of a new name for the house” Cheryl smiled at Veronica. Anything to spend more time with her.  
\---------------------  
Several hours and splinters later, what was formerly kitchen and wait staff quarters was transformed into a worthy bachelor-and-bachelorette pad for the two teenagers. The worn oriental rugs and velvet loveseats were gone, replaced by sleek leather couches and square light fixtures. Exhausted, the three girls flopped onto the new couch and kicked their feet onto the coffee table.

“Ugh I’m starving.” Jughead said walking into the kitchen. He looked around at the 8-burner stove, the dual ranges, and the floor to ceiling pantry. He was in awe, but somewhat puzzled “Um...Where is the refrigerator?” 

“Oh right, you weren’t down here when I unloaded the groceries. It’s behind you” Cheryl got up and walked to the wall underneath the stairs. Or what looked like a wall. She pushed on a corner of the paneling and it popped open to reveal a restaurant-sized walk in refrigerator. 

Betty giggled and elbowed Veronica “Look at Jughead’s face. If he doesn’t look that happy when I’m walking down the aisle make sure to kick him.” Both girls dissolved into giggles as they watched Jughead walk in a trance-like state into the fridge. He looked at the hundreds of shelves that were empty, waiting to be filled with food. He twirled almost giddily in the fridge before coming out and wrapping Cheryl in a big bear hug. For someone who had lived so long not knowing where the next meal would come from, he felt like he had won the lottery.

“Hate to break this up Jug, but you smell like a gym sock” Cheryl said, giggling. She looked up at him and into his face that was full of gratitude. “You’re welcome.” barely loud enough for the others to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! Any comments are appreciated and i try and respond to all of them!  
> Chapter title is by all time low


	5. glamour and trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty jughead-heavy! I hope i wrote him well. I really love where this story has gone. Only a few chapters left. But I will be making a sequel of just Jug/Cheryl domestic shenanigans!

Jughead was chopping vegetables when he smelled a faint burning smell. He turned around to see Cheryl looking back at him with a panicked expression.

“Uh..Jug... I think I did something wrong” Cheryl twirled her finger in her long hair. Jughead had learned that she did this when she was nervous. She did it a lot in their adventures in the kitchen. She had made progress in the week they had been living there. They had started with basics, microwave popcorn and toast, but with the Scooby gang coming over for the housewarming party, Jughead had enlisted her help making the spaghetti.

“Oh you just need more water….and wait for it to boil before adding the pasta” Jughead really tried not to laugh. Cheryl was right that she couldn’t have survived on her own. Jughead felt weirdly protective of her. Like he had with Jellybean growing up, a need to protect them from the harsh reality. “Don’t worry, Betty and Veronica will be here soon to decorate and you’ll be relieved of kitchen duty”

As if on cue, the two girls walked in through the door with bags from the party store. “YooHoo! Here for the party” Veronica chirped. She was wearing a black tank top and short tartan skirt. Betty was wearing a navy blue off-shoulder sundress and her hair was down. “I brought a bottle of my favorite red and a couple bottles of bubbly”

“Could you bring the red over here V?” Jughead asked, sticking his hand out while the other stirred the pasta. Betty and Cheryl looked up from unpacking the party supplies, surprised. Veronica slowly handed the bottle of red wine to Jughead. He wasn’t opposed to drinking, he just didn’t do it much himself. Jughead pulled the cork out with his teeth and poured half the bottle into the pasta sauce. Looking up at everyone’s dumbfounded faces, he winked at all of them and took a swig from the bottle. “Gotta keep you all on your toes.” 

“One hour til Archie and Kevin arrive! Let’s go party people! Decorate!” Veronica waved her hands at the decorations and started hanging the paper lanterns.  
\--------------------  
An hour later, they were all sitting in the living room sipping on champagne. Cheryl had insisted that she and Jughead should color coordinate their outfits, and Jughead had humored her. It reminded him of Jellybean insisting they wear their matching sweaters to the Christmas Eve service. They had settled on a light blue color scheme to-as Cheryl said-bring out both of their eyes. Her sundress was simple, but matched the v-neck he had paired with dark jeans. Archie and Kevin arrived, also bringing champagne(which Jughead was sure was Kevin’s idea. Archie didn’t seem like the champagne sort). After hugs and brief house tour, they sat down to eat.

“Cheryl, this pasta is delicious” Veronica said with a wink to the redhead as she slurped a noodle. There were some chuckles around the table as Cheryl flushed a bit. She had already regaled them with the fiasco of the pasta.

“Be nice, V. She’s learning very quickly” Jughead said admonishingly from the head of the table. With his friends around the table, laughing and eating, it felt like the dream he had had when living under the stairs. Cheryl was right, that you could choose your family. That you could choose what home meant to you. Had it not been for the background music and the fact that they were all the same age, the tableau could’ve been ripped from a ‘50s sitcom about a perfect family. His thoughts were interrupted by a squeeze of his hand. He looked over to see Betty looking at him with questioning eyes. He grinned widely and wrinkled his nose at her. 

After they had stuffed themselves with pasta, garlic bread and the ganache Betty had brought; Cheryl suggested they move to the living room. Veronica had brought over a wide variety of board games as a housewarming gift and Kevin popped another bottle of champagne. Cheryl and Jughead cleared the table, silently thankful for the industrial style dishwasher. When they walked over to join the group in the living room, Jughead cleared his throat and picked up a champagne flute.

“I’d like to make a toast. What makes a place a home? I don’t really know but you all are giving me an idea of what it might be. To making a place a home.” He raised his toast and drank a sip of the champagne. He looked at Betty, knowing she would recognize the wording from her proofread of his manuscript. Her eyes were full of pride. After the choruses of “to home” and drinking deeply, Jug gave Cheryl a one-armed bro hug and settled onto the couch to play board games.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Remind me NEVER to play clue against these two again” Archie groaned several hours later. Betty and Jughead had just won their fourth consecutive game of clue. Cage the Elephant was playing on the sound system and empty champagne bottles were lined up on the mantle. They had paired off to play team-style board games, but had misjudged the investigative powers of Bughead. “Either way, I should probably get going. Still have to help my dad with some of the nighttime stuff.” 

“Oh gosh it is getting late. Arch can I get a ride home? Don’t think I can drive and you stopped drinking at dinner” Kevin slurred, looking up from an instagram post Cheryl was showing him. 

“Yeah man, you ready? The pair got up to leave, hugging and kissing cheeks goodbye.

“I’ll walk you guys out!” Veronica said, following them out the door.  
With the party winding down, Jughead stretched out on the sofa, pulling Betty into his arms. She squealed as she toppled over onto him, but settled onto the cushions next to him.

“This was really nice. All of this tonight.” Betty told him, tracing the pattern of freckles on his hand. She knew this was outside of his comfort zone. She closed her eyes and let his warmth surround her. She was lost in their own little world until she heard Cheryl.

“Oh my gosh Veronica, what’s the matter” Cheryl rushed over to the door, only to be interrupted by a sob. Betty jumped off the sofa and over to Veronica, who was crumpled on the floor at the door. 

“Breathe, V. What happened?” Betty stroked her hair and held her hand. Jughead squatted in front of the three girls, having a gut feeling he knew, but unsure of what to do.

“Archie. He-he...He broke up with me”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always!   
> Chapter title from Lorde's melodrama....I'm obsessed with the album and it felt right for this chapter


	6. we were just kids in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's kinda long one! Almost done!!!!

There was a stunned silence only broken by Veronica’s sniffs. Betty and Jughead exchanged a knowing glance, they had predicted this was another one of Archie’s relationship mishaps. 

“C’mere, V. Let’s go sit down on the sofa. Tell us what happened” Betty ushered her over to the couch. Cheryl mumbled something about getting something upstairs and Jughead awkwardly sat on the chair next to the couch. Cheryl appeared from upstairs with a pair of sweatpants and a pack of makeup wipes.

“Make yourself comfortable. You can stay here tonight Veronica.” Cheryl said with a sympathetic smile. “We can have a girls slumber party. With Jughead….” She looked over at Jughead who was staring vacantly off into space, with his phone loosely in his hand.

“What? Sorry girls, you’ll have to count me out of this one. Gotta go have the ‘bro’ breakup debrief with Arch.” He gave them a half smile. He kissed Betty on the forehead. “Hang in there V. Archie’s an idiot, I know he probably thought this was for the best or something. I’ve got my keys, Cheryl. See you later”

The three girls sat around in silence for a little while. Veronica seemed to be composing herself, preparing the story in her head. She finally changed from her skirt to the sweatpants Cheryl brought down and wiped off her mascara. Her breathing had slowed down and her hands had stopped shaking.

“Ooooh I have chocolate in the pantry! That’s what we need! Do you guys want popcorn? I’ll try not to burn the place down!?” Cheryl jumped up, seeming to feel that she had to be a proper host. Betty and Veronica exchanged a glance and giggled. 

“No popcorn, let’s leave that for another night. But I’d love some chocolate” Veronica said with a genuine smile. Her face was getting it’s color back and she flicked on the TV. The three girls sat and watched Disney channel reruns and ate chocolate. Veronica told them how Archie had thought they were in different places emotionally. He had said some bullshit about needing to devote all his energy to his father, even though the doctors had given Fred the approval to do light work a week ago. They were exchanging stories about dumb things Archie had said, laughing at his blunders with the female gender. It was going on the third hour of Suite Life on Deck when Betty yawned, making the others follow suit. 

“Oh it is getting late. Do you guys want to go swimming tomorrow? I conveniently made sure the pool was still included in the property of the new house.” Cheryl was barely decipherable through her yawn.

“That’d be great”  
“Of course Cheryl”   
The three said their good nights, Betty sleeping in Jughead’s bed and Veronica in one of the spare bedrooms.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Betty had woken up early to the sounds of Jughead softly opening drawers and getting changed for his day working construction. He had agreed to work the weekend for overtime pay, but didn’t want to wake his girlfriend peacefully sleeping in his bed.

“Mmgood morning Juggie” He heard mumbled behind him as he was grabbing jeans from his drawer. He pulled them on and walked over to the bed. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

“Morning Betts. Wish I could stay but if I want to eat breakfast before work I gotta blast” He mumbled into her hair. He could sit and smell her and hold her forever. Despite her feminine appearances, Betty used men’s shampoo and body wash(“The pink tax is a way of making women feel inadequate, Jug”) and it left her smelling spicy and musky. She sat upright suddenly, knocking Jughead out of his daze of her smell.

“I’ll make breakfast! For you and for the girls” Betty started flinging covers off of her. She pulled on a pair of leggings she kept in his bottom drawer for occasions like this and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She looked like a lion with her hair down. A sleepy lion wearing her boyfriend’s Metallica shirt. Jughead willingly followed her down the stairs as she started rambling on about omelettes and wondering if they had an citrus juicer. Jughead perched on one of the barstools and watched her bustling around in the kitchen. He could watch her forever, listening to her endless rambling, and would have if his thoughts hadn’t been interrupted by a plate appearing in front of him.

“Spicy sausage, gruyere, red peppers, and fresh tomatoes. Just the way you like it Jug.” She leaned over the stove to give him a kiss as his mouth was already full of egg. As if on cue, Cheryl stumbled down the stairs

“Ugh it’s too early for me to have to witness this couple nonsense” She grumbled as she extricated a mug from the dishwasher. She made a beeline to the espresso machine without another word. Jughead smiled at Betty, his mouth full of egg, and swallowed hastily.

“Oh shush Cheryl you love me” Jughead said with a wan smile. He then dropped to a stage whisper “She’s a bit dramatic without her coffee” eliciting a giggle from Betty.

“Cheryl, can I interest you in an omelette?” Betty looked over to see the redhead with a ‘wait’ finger up as she downed half a cup of black coffee and put her mug back under the espresso maker.

“Now you may. Spinach, feta, onions, and tomato please and thank you daahhling” She made to pull up a chair on the other side of Jughead, who hastily got up.

“Oh no take my chair. I gotta get going anyway. Thanks, Betts for breakfast, see you later? Only working a half day. Love you”. And with a kiss on the cheek and grabbing his keys from the counter, Jughead was gone. Betty did not want to interrupt Cheryl’s caffeination process again, so they remained in silence until Betty pushed her omelette over to her.

“So...Cheryl. Veronica is single again” Betty was met with the patented HBIC side-eye.

“What kind of friend, or even what kind of person, would I be if I tried to get on that less than 12 hours after a breakup? No, I’ll let it occur organically. NO MEDDLING.” Betty just gave her two raised eyebrows and a smug grin. Cheryl was going to say something else, but heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs and shot Betty a death glare instead. 

“Hey Ronnie. Omelette?”

“Uh yeah B. Thanks. Surprise me with the toppings. Do you have any OJ, Cheryl?” Veronica was remarkably more put together than either of the other two in the morning. She perched on the bar top, legs swinging, and sipped her juice. She could look down at Cheryl sitting at the barstool and watch her take tiny bird-like bites of her omelette. The red haired girl was so pale you could make out the vein patterns on her arms. Veronica’s thoughts were cut short with Betty giving her a large plate with her omelette and shooing them to the living room so she could make her own breakfast. 

“Come over here when you’re done Betty. Don’t worry about the dishes, I’ll make Jughead do them later” Cheryl called over her shoulder with a wink.  
\---------------------  
Several hours later the three girls were on loungers by the (former)Blossom manor pool, all outfitted from Cheryl’s extensive bikini collection. Betty and Veronica alternated between lying out on the cushioned loungers and bobbing in the pool on oversized pizza floats. Cheryl was flipping through a magazine under a massive umbrella, occasionally coming to lay on the diving board and let her hand trail in the water. She had protested when they had tried to get her off of her 100+ SPF sunscreen, and refused to let her massively brimmed hat off of her head. 

“I can’t help that I’m pale, it’s only a matter of time before it’s back ‘in style’. It was considered to be a sign of nobility in the middle ages” She had protested with a sniff. When the sun was at it’s peak they had all popped up umbrellas and were dozing off in the heat when they heard the unmistakable sound of a diving board being jumped upon. Betty had a split second to process her boyfriend’s lanky form launching itself off the diving board and curling into a ball before they were all drenched with the splash from his cannonball.

“Juuuuuuug”  
“ACK Jughead!”  
“Oh my god” The girls ran back screeching as Jughead surfaced and flicked his hair out of his face. He looked rather pleased with himself.

“I thought you girls were going to be swimming?” He teased. And with that, Betty cannonballed in right next to him, Veronica shortly after, with even Cheryl sitting on the edge(in full sun!) kicking up waves with her feet. The writer in Jughead wanted to describe the situation at hand, to paint a picture of a dramatic scene. But he was at a loss for any further word than Home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several things  
> 1) Why is omelette spelled the way it is  
> 2) I saw a buzzfeed article about a woman who got an AWFUL sunburn, so i couldn't bear to write poor cheryl out tanning  
> 3) I was sick of people describing betty's smell profile as all strawberries and vanilla  
> 4) There will be more Jughead ogling/body appreciation in the next chapter!
> 
> Chapter title is from Kids in Love by Mayday parade


	7. i want to be praised from a new perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HONESTLY THIS IS MOSTLY JUST SHAMELESS JUG'S BODY APPRECIATION

Several splash wars later, the girls went back to lounging in the sun while Jughead remained floating lazily in the water. 

“Seriously Betty, how’d you keep quiet about nailing THAT man bod? Your boyfriend looks like a marble statue of Apollo!” Cheryl’s whisper was not exactly subtle, neither was her eyeballing as she pulled down her sunglasses.

“Thank you, Cheryl, for that lovely assessment.” Betty blushed while Veronica giggled. She didn’t really want to go into detail about just HOW appreciative she was of the lean muscles her boyfriend kept under layers of flannel and denim. 

“Not to mention his hands. Goddamn. You know what they say about guys with big hands….” Cheryl had said this a little louder than necessary. Jughead had sat up from his floating posture when he overheard a snippet and inhaled water into his nose. He came up sputtering and shaking the water out of his ears.

“Are you guys talking about me?

 

“YA CUZ YOU’RE A HOTTIE” Veronica yelled at him teasingly. “We’re all just appreciating your physique and feeling proud for our girl B who get’s to appreciate it the most”

“Oh I’m sure she’ll tell you At Length how much she appreciates it” Jughead said with a lascivious grin, meaning every bit of the double entendre. He dipped back under water with a wink as Betty hid, horrified, under her towel while the other girls cackled at her.

“Ok, but seriously Jug. I should make you a modeling portfolio. You could have a Calvin Klein ad in Times Square.” Cheryl once more raked her eyes over his arms and down the abs that looked chiseled out of marble. 

“Whatever you say, C. I’ll stop crashing your pool party now. I only came by to cool off.” Jughead walked up the steps on the shallow end, looking every bit like a perfume ad. Betty had poked her eyes out from behind her towel and was watching as water ran down her boyfriend’s frame. The water had made his swim trunks heavy and they drooped low on his hips, giving them a peek of the V muscles that framed his hips and led to-

“Betty?” Veronica’s voice shook her from her brain fog. “We’re gonna head in too. It’s getting really sunny out here and we can’t have Cheryl’s skin being the same color as her hair” 

“Oh yeah, I’ll come in. No point staying out”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After Betty and Veronica had left, Cheryl went to shower the chlorine out of her hair, while Jughead made a large pot of thick stew. He had changed into cutoff shorts but remained shirtless in the heat. He was laying on the sofa eating when Cheryl came downstairs with her laptop.

“Food’s on the burner.”

“Thanks Jug, are you really watching the news?”

“I’m a journalist, I have to stay up to date on the happenings of the world”  
Cheryl sat down rolling her eyes at him, and began tapping away on her laptop. Occasionally looking over at him. She stared for a few seconds, hands poised over her keyboard.

“What is your middle name? What does the P stand for?

“Pendle-wait why do you care? What are you doing??” Jughead peered over her laptop to see that she was honest to god setting up a modeling portfolio for him. “OH my god. Are you serious??”

“Listen, all joking aside. You’ve got the look, you’ve got the body. Jug, you could really make a name for yourself. Let me do this for you. Please?” She looked at him, begging him not to be angry at her. He felt the wave of brotherly compassion that he felt when she blundered through the kitchen and made them color coordinate their outfits. If it would make her happy, he would do it for her. 

“Ok. If you insist.” He shot a look over at her and grinned. Her face softened and she smiled back. 

“Thanks Jughead. I’m glad this worked out” The look in her eyes made it clear that ‘this’ was referring to the greater ‘this’. The house, the party, the whole situation. And Jughead couldn’t agree more.  
\--------------  
FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks!! I will be making a series of oneshots/tales of (platonic)domestic Cheryl/jughead that'll be the second part of this series.  
> Thank you if you've been here since the beginning!


End file.
